Too risky to file i-751 by yourself?

[Hdblack84 0]

We used an immigration attorney and spent a lot of money to get initial green card a few years ago. Now it's time to file form i-751 and we feel we can do it by ourselves and avoid this $2,000 attorney fee. Is this too risky? I know there is a lot at risk with this one.

 

We have actually been collecting all the documents needed and working on the form

/paperwork for a few months now off and on. We finally have everything ready to file but I am second guessing and wondering if we should pay the attorney after all to make sure it all looks good. 

 

Also, with all the lists I've seen for what to provide, none of these included marriage certificate, pictures, affidavit from 2 people who know you......(but i found one website that suggested you send these things). Is it better to send more than what they ask for? 

 

We already submitted a ton of pictures and our marriage certificate a few years ago when we filed for green card, so wasn't sure if it was necessary to submit those again. Any tips greatly appreciated, thank you

[Nitas_man 3,100]

Joint address, bank accounts, car/health insurance, life insurance beneficiary documentation, joint bills (cell, credit cards, rent, mortgage), joint property (autos, home), joint travel (document trips taken together) go much further than pictures and sworn statements

[Canerican 242]

7 minutes ago, Hdblack84 said:

We used an immigration attorney and spent a lot of money to get initial green card a few years ago. Now it's time to file form i-751 and we feel we can do it by ourselves and avoid this $2,000 attorney fee. Is this too risky? I know there is a lot at risk with this one.

 

We have actually been collecting all the documents needed and working on the form

/paperwork for a few months now off and on. We finally have everything ready to file but I am second guessing and wondering if we should pay the attorney after all to make sure it all looks good. 

 

Also, with all the lists I've seen for what to provide, none of these included marriage certificate, pictures, affidavit from 2 people who know you......(but i found one website that suggested you send these things). Is it better to send more than what they ask for? 

 

We already submitted a ton of pictures and our marriage certificate a few years ago when we filed for green card, so wasn't sure if it was necessary to submit those again. Any tips greatly appreciated, thank you

If you do not have any red flags I would suggest that you do not waste money on an attorney. I have said this many times before on other forums. I just came full circle and obtained US Citizenship. I went K-1 -> AOS -> ROC -> Citizenship without a single lawyer. At the following link you will find the proof needed for your I-751: https://www.visajourney.com/content/751guide/

[Going through 5,668]

Most of us on this site have done it without the assistance of a lawyer---why pay someone else when you still have to do all the leg-work yourself?

Also,  any questions about the form you can ask here.... and not be charged for getting an answer, either  

[Cryssiekins 976]

24 minutes ago, Hdblack84 said:

We used an immigration attorney and spent a lot of money to get initial green card a few years ago. Now it's time to file form i-751 and we feel we can do it by ourselves and avoid this $2,000 attorney fee. Is this too risky? I know there is a lot at risk with this one.

 

We have actually been collecting all the documents needed and working on the form

/paperwork for a few months now off and on. We finally have everything ready to file but I am second guessing and wondering if we should pay the attorney after all to make sure it all looks good. 

 

Also, with all the lists I've seen for what to provide, none of these included marriage certificate, pictures, affidavit from 2 people who know you......(but i found one website that suggested you send these things). Is it better to send more than what they ask for? 

 

We already submitted a ton of pictures and our marriage certificate a few years ago when we filed for green card, so wasn't sure if it was necessary to submit those again. Any tips greatly appreciated, thank you

The “risk” you’re wondering about, is that case specific, or just in general? 
 

If case specific, like for instance, criminal charges or something, then maybe a lawyer is advisable.

 

If you’re just a run of the mill regular couple, you should be fine.  If a lawyer made you feel this leg is risky, then shame on them, they just want your money.

 

Personally, the i751 has been the least stressful filing.  You submit it, and just go on about your daily life.

 

As for evidence:  focus on the pieces that provide the most probative value.  This would be joint finances such as checking/savings/credit accounts, joint assets (car, home, etc), joint tax filings, wills/poa’s, insurance, etc. 
 

You’ll also want to include proof of cohabitation.  Drivers licenses and a lease/deed accomplishes that.

 

Pictures, chat logs, and affidavits don’t hurt in concert with the items listed above, but they are not necessary, and certainly shouldn’t be relied upon as the only source of evidence. 

[Hdblack84 0]

Thank you all so much, I feel more confident now. We are just your regular run of the mill couple. No criminal history, we bought a house together and have a 5 month old beautiful baby boy. I just felt myself that it was risky after I read that if you don't submit it in time or have any errors it could be rejected and they would start the process for "removal" and I certainly don't want my husband to be sent back to his country! So I was just paranoid after that. They just make it seem so serious like if you leave out one bit of information on the form accidentally then it's no good.....but I will probably read it all over 50 times before mailing it out just to be sure lol. 

Last question, since I havent filed anything myself before. We just mail the form, all documentation and payment...  that IS the filing, correct? And is it better to use FedEx, usps, etc.....wasnt sure if I should include tracking or a signature so I know its received?

[Ed&Midori1031 330]

All the help and support you need is here on VJ.  Follow the guidelines and you're good to go.  Confidence is key! 

[Going through 5,668]

Everything becomes stressful when you are dealing with filing forms---it's a natural feeling to have, because you feel that your entire life is in the hands of someone else at that moment.  

 

ROC is the "easier" part, in my opinion---at least it seemed so to me after having done the AOS.   For what it's worth, I completed the AOS, ROC and N400 without the assistance of a lawyer and I had/have a criminal history on top of that.  Many times, lawyers like to instill fear in their clients and make them believe they will not be successful without them---that's how they make their money. 

 

With a lawyer, all they are doing for you in the end is filling out the form on your behalf---their assistance will not guarantee an approval, nor will it guarantee you do not receive a RFE for further evidence later on.  You are still responsible for keeping on top of your case, gathering evidence, sending away for any documents you need, photocopying everything, tracking its arrival,  etc.  If you are called to an interview (most ROCs do not result in one, by the way), a lawyer cannot answer any questions on your behalf either---that's still your responsibility.  You are simply paying a lawyer to fill out a form that is quite easy to do so yourself, if you understand basic English.   Can a lawyer be useful in some cases?  Absolutely---however nothing you've said so far indicates that it's essential for you to use one.

 

 

[yuna628 9,541]

14 hours ago, Hdblack84 said:

We used an immigration attorney and spent a lot of money to get initial green card a few years ago. Now it's time to file form i-751 and we feel we can do it by ourselves and avoid this $2,000 attorney fee. Is this too risky? I know there is a lot at risk with this one.

 

We have actually been collecting all the documents needed and working on the form

/paperwork for a few months now off and on. We finally have everything ready to file but I am second guessing and wondering if we should pay the attorney after all to make sure it all looks good. 

 

Also, with all the lists I've seen for what to provide, none of these included marriage certificate, pictures, affidavit from 2 people who know you......(but i found one website that suggested you send these things). Is it better to send more than what they ask for? 

 

We already submitted a ton of pictures and our marriage certificate a few years ago when we filed for green card, so wasn't sure if it was necessary to submit those again. Any tips greatly appreciated, thank you

Well we did it and were approved without interview, so must have done something alright without a lawyer. Just make sure you have strong and good evidence and are prepared to go through mounds of paperwork.

[Cryssiekins 976]

Another tip: use the cover letter to tel your story, and to outline the evidence (and provide context).

 

As for assembling it all, I followed the USCIS guidelines and did the 2-hole punch and held together with fasteners.  Used dividers with the bottom tabs to separate/group evidence.

[cute_pretzel 49]

not risky at all. we did by ourselves and things went very well.

 

if you case is straightforward, it'll actually save time/money to file by yourself.

[Valor 131]

If your case is straightforward, which it is as your said, the amount of efforts you'd spend is about the same as hiring a lawyer. You would still need to go gather all the documents and fill out all the information that's needed on the form. Why not save the $$ for a nice vacation in Hawaii? There're so many nice people on this forum can help you out with most of your concerns. Read the thread below and you'll have 99% of the information you need. Good luck!

 and you

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Risk is a weird work for it... implies a sort of chance element. There are instructions. If you follow them you should have no problems. If you don’t, you may have problems.

 

From what I remember from those approval statistics that were floating around recently, RoC/I-751 was actually the process with the least denials. Like, 3% I believe?

 

It’s the part of the process (after K-1, AOS, etc) that’s been the biggest headache for us in terms of waiting with no updates, but it really wasn’t any more of a hassle than anything we had done before.

 

I filed everything all by myself for my partner, by the way. I was only 20 years old at the time and I figured it out, while working 30 hours a week and going to school full time. I also planned a successful 200+ wedding which is apparently difficult for most people who do K-1s. No RFEs, no issues.

[Elif_and_Greg 164]

19 hours ago, Going through said:

Most of us on this site have done it without the assistance of a lawyer---why pay someone else when you still have to do all the leg-work yourself?

Also,  any questions about the form you can ask here.... and not be charged for getting an answer, either  

That is so true. I had a lawyer for the K1 part of this process, but going forward I'm going to do it with just my fiance and me, and the help of this great community. I remember so many times asking my lawyer and Visajourney the same question on the same day, and within the same day Visajourney got back to me with great information while my lawyer would get back to me several days later with a choppy response. 

[fishe23a 240]

19 hours ago, CDN(ON)-USA(VT) said:

If you do not have any red flags I would suggest that you do not waste money on an attorney. I have said this many times before on other forums. I just came full circle and obtained US Citizenship. I went K-1 -> AOS -> ROC -> Citizenship without a single lawyer. At the following link you will find the proof needed for your I-751: https://www.visajourney.com/content/751guide/

My wife and are I are the same: We did K-1 --> AOS --> pending ROC and plan to do Citizenship without an attorney, with the caveat that when I was very new to this and applying for the K-1, I put together the entire application and paid an attorney for 30 minutes of his time to look over my application and make edits and suggestions. At the time when I was new to this, that was worth the $140 or so that I paid for that. Having gotten confidence with that, we felt very good about not hiring an attorney for AOS and it went off without a hitch. Good luck to you!